District Size: 278,731 acres Year Formed: May 21, 1956 Overview: Farmers and ranchers in the Chowchilla-Red Top Resource Conservation District are conscious of the need for and the benefits of conservation practices. These include but not limited to farm, range, open space, urban development, wildlife, recreation, watershed, water quality, woodland; best adapted to save the basic resource, soil, water and air of the state from unreasonable and economically preventable waste and destruction. It is realized that to be truly effective, group participation and action over multiple ownership is also necessary.
The Land west of SR 99 is an alluvial plain with gentle slopes to the west and south. The land east of the highway varies form near level through slightly rolling to steep foothills. The watersheds serving the area are the Chowchilla River-Brenda Slough-Ash Slough complex with headwaters in Mariposa County, and to a smaller extent the Fresno River that headwaters east of Oakhurst in Madera County plus several smaller foothill drainage. All of the District drainage is tributary to the San Joaquin River.
The climate is one of long hot summers with cool wet winters. The average rainfall is about 10 inches, mostly received between October and May. The average length of growing season is 325 days.
In the western part of the District is found some large blocks of soil that are difficult to manage due to alkali conditions. Also found deep sandy soils generally in fingers and fans caused by the flooding of numerous small streams that traversed the area in years before the major canals were built. These sandy soils cause serious irrigation problems, but may aid in ground water recharge.
Approximately two-thirds of the acreage within the district are under irrigation. The water for irrigation comes by way of the Chowchilla Water District via the Madera Canal, and from deep well pumping. Pumping of deep wells has created serious groundwater depletion from about SR 99 west. There is little acreage on the extreme west of the District that receives water directly from the San Joaquin River.
